Affordable Housing Challenge

In Florida, a family of four must have 2.6 wage earners working full time at minimum wage or one full-time wage earner working 102 hours a week in order to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to a report from the National Low Income Housing C

When a moderately priced home in Florida cost under $200,000, "affordable housing" was an issue for low-income people and their advocates. But spiraling housing prices have redefined the dynamic: Affordability as an issue has moved upmarket -- concerns over "police officers, firefighters and teachers" being able to purchase homes are repeated, mantra-like, all over the state.The shift also finds the business community moving into the advocates' ranks. "I haven't been in a meeting in the last six months where there hasn't been a chamber of commerce type saying please help us with this crisis," says Wight Greger of the Florida Housing Coalition. Steve Auger, the new executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp., says the business community "realizes affordable housing is not just a social issue; it's an economic development issue."With labor and material costs beyond the control of government, some developers are seeking to lower the cost of building affordable housing by asking county and local officials to change regulations involving everything from land use to appearance, taxes, fees and zoning.Less clear in the discussion is what can be done about homebuyers' expectations and attitudes. Buyers often are unwilling to purchase homes their parents or grandparents would have found acceptable. They may object to older housing stock, the look of a neighborhood, antiquated floor plans and limited number of baths or garage space, for instance. And there's also race. In Pinellas County, for example, a search of the multiple listing service turns up numerous homes for sale under $200,000. Many appear in ZIP codes where most residents are African-American; while the homes are "affordable," many white buyers wouldn't consider them as real options in choosing a place to live -- and many brokers won't show them.Nor has there been serious discussion about addressing some element of affordability by raising the salaries of the police officers, firefighters and teachers who are now the objects of so much concern.In any event, some change is already afoot, on a number of fronts. Florida Trend reports on a sample of efforts in both the public and private sectors to address affordability issues.